Award-Winning Songwriter, Motivational Speaker, And Quadriplegic Shane Michael Taylor Challenges Congress On The Inclusivity of The American Dream While Warning Of Fatal Consequences
Shane Michael Taylor, the recent recipient of a proclamation from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, is more than just a songwriter and motivational speaker, he is also an activist for those like himself that are challenged with disabilities.
Using his platform to fight for those without a voice, Shane Michael recently issued a letter to his state representatives revealing the grievous gap set forth by the current Reconciliation Bill.
View Shane’s full letter below:
Dear Senator,
My name is Shane Michael Taylor. I have overcome unthinkable obstacles to chase my dream of building a successful career as an author, musician, and motivational speaker. These are high aspirations for everyone, but especially for me: a quadriplegic born with a severe form of cerebral palsy. Every day, this developmental disorder affects my movement, speech, posture, and communication. I, through no choice of my own, rely on private duty 24-hour care to survive and to have the opportunity to strive for a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life.
Inflation is endangering my independence and life – and I need your help.
I face a very high potential of being neglected and left to die, or worse, being forced into a wave of “cost-efficient” mass institutionalizations into a care facility where innocent people are herded like cattle, where their spirit gets brutalized, and where hopes, dreams, and human dignity get slaughtered.
I am writing to you on behalf of all Americans with disabilities to expose and shine a light on these grave issues and hidden battles that this large segment of the population face. We continue to be overlooked in regard to government spending.
I am humbly asking you to consider voting against any major spending bill unless provisions are included to unconditionally ensure basic human care and that subsequently, the American Dream is attainable for disabled citizens.
Americans with severe disabilities are currently having to tolerate substandard personal care, inhumane treatment from healthcare workers, severe physical and emotional neglect and abuse, and very often being forced into poverty to merely survive.
The rate for an agency-provided caregiver starts at $30 per hour, making our basic care range from $175,000-262,000 per year – and that only covers the cost of labor. These costs are not reflective of inflation, the worker shortage, or the caliber of abusive workers we are being exposed to due to hostile social, cultural, and economic circumstance
My ask is for licensed and unlicensed private duty care to be unconditionally subsidized long-term starting at $30 per hour, rising in direct accordance with inflation. I say unconditionally because even those whose net worth is in the mid-seven figures are unable to sustain paying for a lifetime of care. The American Dream was not intended to have an ambition cap for certain segments of the population.
Leadership is completely oblivious of the fact that those of us with special needs spend most of our time and energy managing our care and its costs instead of trying to have an equal chance at life.
Resentment toward disabled Americans is growing fast because many politicians and major media outlets demonize employers as greedy and exploitative; as well as inferring that burnout is the fault of those who need care.
This rhetoric is dehumanizing, demeaning, and insulting to the majority of us who get burnt out trying to ensure that those who care for us do not.
Entrusting your life to caregivers who despise and resent you by societal default for merely being successful is as painful as it sounds. As an employer it feels like constantly living with a loaded gun pressed to your head without reprieve.
Americans just like me will be facing even more pain, abuse, neglect, and even death if we continue to be left behind in any spending bill which does not provide the middle-class access to affordable care.
Therefore, in order to enable Americans with disabilities to unleash their fullest potential without fear, anyone with assets of at least five million dollars or less should qualify for subsidized care. While this may sound high, at the current rate of care, one million dollars will not even last four years which does not include living or medical expenses. If inflation continues at the current rate, five million dollars may not even last five years of a human’s life.
Senator, I, and millions like me have the tenacity, drive, ambition, and burning desire to utilize our unique talents and gifts to their fullest potential to leave this world a better place than we found it. However, these daily hidden battles cause us to live in fear and be in constant survival mode.
Anyone can become disabled and face these harsh realities and living conditions at any time. It is my hope that you will be the one champion making the American Dream accessible to ALL Americans, including those living with severe disabilities by subsidizing care expenses without punishing those with the desire to dream, succeed, and thrive.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best,
Shane Michael Taylor
To read more about Shane and his work, CLICK HERE to view the honor from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
Watch his music video for a song he wrote titled I’m Giving In below. The video takes a firsthand look at issues facing those will disabilities.
About Shane Michael Taylor
Shane Michael Taylor is a remarkable man who has overcome obstacles and transcended physical limitations to become a respected author, songwriter and motivational speaker. Shane navigates the world in a wheelchair battling daily with communication hurdles as a result of being born with a severe form of cerebral palsy, a developmental disorder affecting movement, speech and posture.
Making excuses, however, was never an option for this Waterbury, CT native, who taught himself to type with his nose at the age of five. Fueled by his lifelong love of country music and an unrelenting desire to shatter stereotypes, Shane earned a college degree in Music Business at the University of New Haven with a presidential scholarship and began making frequent visits to Nashville to co-write with prominent Music City songwriters like Lorna Flowers and Mason Douglas.
Throughout 2021, Shane has promoted his latest song I’m Giving In, a single that was featured on the Academy of Country Music’s New Music Friday Playlist placing him “shoulder to shoulder” with hit makers such as Thomas Rhett, Ashley McBryde, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Tracy Lawrence and Miranda Lambert.
His music video, which premiered on CMT and The Country Network, was centered around dishonest practices that are prevalent in the licensed caregiver industry, but are rarely talked about. Shane has created learning workshops tackling these topics to both raise awareness and promote change with caregivers and their clients.
Regarding the powerful visual content, CMT called the video “very inspirational.” Lorianne Crook of the Crook & Chase Countdown also stated, “I am a caretaker full time in addition to producing and hosting our shows and running our company. I totally get how it can feel so heavy, but there is always a way to try to make each day better. Shane is now touching people in exactly the same way he was so touched listening to Reba and Garth growing up. Pretty amazing!”
